Kentucky's Backroads: Arsenal of History

Kentucky's Backroads: Arsenal of History

A bastion of Kentucky military history is ready to become a museum again.

A bastion of Kentucky military history is ready to become a museum again. The state’s oldest National Guard facility, the State Arsenal, has been closed for restoration since 2007. It will reopen November 11. “This is where pretty much any military event that Kentucky's been involved in started from,” said Trevor Jones, Kentucky Historical Society Director of Museum Collections and Exhibits.

Built in 1859, the facility on a hill overlooking downtown Frankfort was turned into a museum in 1973. Now that it has been restored, recapturing much of the buildings original fabric, an updated exhibit is ready to debut.

Jones says the aim is to tell Kentuckians stories from various periods of our state’s military history. “This is really much more than just an assemblage of guns or uniforms. It's about the people that wore them or used them and why they're important."

Again, the KentuckyMilitaryHistoryMuseum at the State Arsenal is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Veterans Day.